EWU — iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF
Single Country - Developed Ranked #161 of 458 tracked ETFs · Issued by iShares
EWU Price Performance — Growth of $10,000
Value of a $10,000 investment in EWU over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.
EWU Drawdown
The "underwater" chart: EWU's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.
What If You'd Invested in EWU?
See what a lump sum in EWU would have grown to, with the option to add a regular monthly contribution on top. Figures use total returns — dividends are assumed reinvested.
Past performance doesn't predict future results. Assumes contributions on the first trading day of each month, no trading costs or taxes, and reinvested distributions. History is limited to the range published in the site's daily return data.
Overview
The iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF is a Single Country - Developed fund issued by iShares with $3.79 billion in assets under management. It holds a B grade and ranks 12th out of 18 peers in its category, placing it at #161 overall among 458 tracked ETFs. The fund’s 0.5% expense ratio matches the category median, while its 1.84% dividend yield exceeds the peer average of 1.52%. Concentration is notable, with the top 10 holdings representing 52.4% of assets and HSBC HOLDINGS PLC serving as the largest single position at 10.1%.
Priced at $48.59, the ETF sits at 90.6% of its 52-week range, reflecting a price history available for only 3.0 years. Short-term momentum shows a divergence from longer-term trends, with a 1-month return of +0.60% contrasting sharply with a 1-year gain of +21.38%. Despite this recent strength, the 1-year return trails the category median of +27.75%. The fund was downgraded from a C to a B grade on 2026-09-01, indicating a recent shift in its assessment.
With a beta of 0.68, the fund exhibits lower sensitivity to market movements compared to the broader index. Annualized volatility of 14.88% is classified as Low, contributing to a Sharpe ratio of 1.10. The maximum drawdown recorded is -12.63%, suggesting limited downside severity during recent periods. Liquidity is supported by an average daily volume of 1,280,995 shares, though the bid/ask spread of 1.28% indicates moderate trading costs.
AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.
EWU Top Holdings
| # | Holding | % of Net Assets | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC | 10.06% | $347M |
| 2 | ASTRAZENECA PLC | 8.98% | $310M |
| 3 | SHELL PLC | 7.51% | $259M |
| 4 | ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC | 4.71% | $162M |
| 5 | BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO P.L.C. | 4.20% | $145M |
| 6 | UNILEVER PLC | 3.83% | $132M |
| 7 | RIO TINTO PLC | 3.74% | $129M |
| 8 | BP P.L.C. | 3.47% | $120M |
| 9 | GSK PLC | 3.21% | $111M |
| 10 | BARCLAYS PLC | 2.64% | $91M |
Holdings as of 2026-05-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 52.4% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how EWU's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.
Which Funds Overlap With EWU
Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with EWU's top 10 — SCHF overlaps most, holding 3 of the same companies as EWU's top 10 (26.6% of EWU's assets).
| ETF | Name | Shared Companies | EWU Weight | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCHF | Schwab International Equity ETF | 3 | 26.6% | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC, ASTRAZENECA PLC, SHELL PLC |
| IDEV | iShares Core MSCI International Developed Markets ETF | 3 | 26.6% | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC, ASTRAZENECA PLC, SHELL PLC |
| EFA | iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | 3 | 26.6% | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC, ASTRAZENECA PLC, SHELL PLC |
| IEFA | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | 3 | 26.6% | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC, ASTRAZENECA PLC, SHELL PLC |
| VGK | Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF | 3 | 26.6% | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC, ASTRAZENECA PLC, SHELL PLC |
Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.
Market Backdrop
10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.77% (as of 2026-09-03) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.
CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 14.32 (as of 2026-09-03) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.
Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-08-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.
What EWU's Fees Cost You
EWU charges an expense ratio of 0.50% a year, deducted automatically from the fund's value. Small percentages compound into real money — adjust the figures below to see the impact on your own numbers.
Assumes a constant gross return and no additional contributions — a simplification, but it isolates exactly what the expense ratio costs. Try the full fee calculator to model contributions and compare any two funds.
EWU Dividend Income Estimator
EWU currently yields 1.84%. Enter an amount to see the income that implies, or set a monthly income target to see the investment it would take.
Based on the fund's current trailing yield, which varies with price and distributions — treat it as an estimate, not a guarantee. Yields are not adjusted for tax.
EWU Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment
Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 1.28% and average daily volume is 1.3M/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $3.79B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.
Domicile & tax treatment: EWU is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.
EWU Performance History
| Period | Return |
|---|---|
| 1-Day | -0.18% |
| 1-Week | +0.08% |
| 1-Month | +0.60% |
| 3-Month | +6.27% |
| 6-Month | +7.10% |
| YTD | +10.85% |
| 1-Year | +21.38% |
| 3-Year | +70.48% |
How EWU Compares to Other Single Country - Developed ETFs
| Rank | Grade | Ticker | Name | 1-Year | Exp. Ratio | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #28 | B+ |
EWP | iShares MSCI Spain ETF | +36.14% | 0.5% | $2.26B |
| #30 | B+ |
EWC | iShares MSCI Canada ETF | +28.03% | 0.5% | $6.85B |
| #52 | B+ |
DXJ | WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | +43.32% | 0.48% | $7.35B |
| #63 | B |
FLJP | Franklin FTSE Japan ETF | +29.28% | 0.09% | $4.12B |
| #72 | B |
BBJP | JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF | +28.40% | 0.19% | $19.2B |
| #82 | B |
EWJ | iShares MSCI Japan ETF | +30.21% | 0.49% | $22.7B |
| #87 | B |
EWS | iShares MSCI Singapore ETF | +27.47% | 0.5% | $1.25B |
| #115 | B |
HEWJ | iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF | +41.12% | 0.49% | $774M |
| #142 | B |
EIS | iShares MSCI Israel ETF | +35.58% | 0.59% | $897M |
| #150 | B |
EWI | iShares MSCI Italy ETF | +26.17% | 0.5% | $1.13B |
| #153 | B |
EWN | iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF | +37.04% | 0.5% | $627M |
| #161 | B |
EWU | iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF | +21.38% | 0.5% | $3.79B |
| #291 | C |
EWL | iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF | +15.32% | 0.5% | $2.42B |
| #311 | C |
EWD | iShares MSCI Sweden ETF | +19.05% | 0.51% | $756M |
| #356 | C |
EWG | iShares MSCI Germany ETF | +8.30% | 0.49% | $1.82B |
| #391 | D |
EWA | iShares MSCI Australia ETF | +15.91% | 0.5% | $1.33B |
| #395 | D |
EWH | iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF | +15.87% | 0.5% | $1.21B |
| #399 | D |
EWQ | iShares MSCI France ETF | +10.47% | 0.5% | $338M |